Oregon State University’s Tiara Bolden managed 19 points in her final half as a Beaver in the first round of the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament, but it wasn’t enough.
OSU fell 62-58 to the No. 3-seeded University of Wisconsin in Corvallis, Thursday evening, ending the Beavers’ 2025-26 season.
“Tough loss, for sure. You don’t want things to end before it has to,” Head Coach Scott Rueck said postgame. “Wisconsin played a really good game.”
The Beavers struggled to find offensive rhythm early, ending the first quarter 4-of-16 from the field and falling behind 15-10.
“In the first half, I felt like I was a little shaken, and the pressure, I definitely put on myself,” Bolden, who opened the game 0-for-5, said.
By halftime, Wisconsin grew its lead to 31-22. Both teams had taken 28 shots, but the Badgers made 14 to the Beavers’ nine. However, OSU was winning the turnover battle; Wisconsin had given up the ball nine times, and the Beavers only six.
“For us, I love the fight,” Rueck said.
The Beavers were a different offensive team to open the third quarter, shooting 57.1% from the field. Bolden had 10 points, one rebound, and two steals, leading the Beavers to a 37-36 lead with over five minutes left in the quarter. She’d end the game with team bests in points (23), rebounds (six), and steals (three).
“Obviously, the game separated right before the half, and then we came out the second half and made it a game,” Rueck said. “Néné (Sow)’s defense at the rim was so impactful in each of her minutes, and then Tiara kind of took the game over, it seemed, in that third quarter. … It was one of the more enjoyable stretches of the season for us.”
However, the Badgers went on a 9-2 run to close the quarter, entering the final period up 49-43.
OSU would fight back again in the fourth quarter, getting within one point, 57-56, with 2:51 left in the game. But Wisconsin once again found timely buckets, sinking a three-pointer and then a shot clock-beating jumper to go up five with 1:03 remaining.
“It was a clutch performance, is how it felt to me,” Rueck said of the Badgers. “They needed the bucket. They knew where to go, and they got a bucket.”
Two successive missed three-pointers by Beaver junior Jenna Villa, the second coming with 31.8 seconds remaining, put the game out of reach. Villa hit a late jumper with nine seconds left, but afterwards the Badgers used up the rest of the game clock, finalizing the four-point win.
“What can you say?” Rueck said. “Just found a way to stay in it till the end and give ourselves a chance in the last minute. And so I was really proud of that effort, and it was on brand for who this team is. We’ve just been a tough out every night.”
Wisconsin, the higher seed, was announced as the home team, but was unable to host the game due to a high school tournament occurring over the same dates in Madison.
“As an international (student), I feel like here has always been our home away from home,” Sow said of the chance to play an extra game at Gill Coliseum. “So being able to play one more time here before going home, it just felt good.”
Sow was one of four Beaver seniors to finish their Beaver careers on Thursday, alongside Bolden, Susana Yepes, and Lizzy Williamson. Rueck said senior Catarina Ferreira, who missed the year with a knee injury, is expected back.
After the win, the Badgers advance to play the No. 2-seeded University of Miami on Sunday.
Wisconsin entered the game on a 10-game losing streak, having finished 15th in the Big Ten conference. The Beavers, on the other hand, finished fourth in the West Coast Conference in their final season before moving to a revamped Pac-12.
“I think if you just look at the big picture, that’s a much better team than the record suggests, and they improved as the year went on,” Rueck said of Wisconsin. “I thought it was just a really good basketball game, and I thought the difference was inside. Clearly points in the net – you know, that’s usually what wins, and we got outplayed inside. … We’ve been playing against less size, I would say.”
For the game, Wisconsin outshot the Beavers 49.1% from the field to 40.4%, also out-rebounding OSU 36 to 28.
The Beavers exit their 2025-26 season with a 23-12 record. Thursday marked the program’s first WBIT appearance since it began in 2024; OSU made the NCAA Tournament the previous two seasons.
“I think I was just waiting for that one moment where it all hit at the same time,” Rueck said of his team’s potential. “It just seemed so elusive at times, to recapture that, to where we could just bury somebody. We saw it at moments, but not full games. … Overall, remarkable to be a part of. Our very best? It’s still out there.”
